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Still looking for information pertaining to MegaEsophagus in camelids.
There doesn't seem to be much out there...................
But what we can tell you, is that this condition was gradual and
occurred over time. We were aware of his condition and attempted to
treat it over about 2 years, obviously without success. We tried
various medicines and special diets but he eventually succumbed to
malnutrition since he could not keep food down to digest.
In other animals (this is an excerpt for dogs) the definition of
MegaEsophagus is:
The esophagus is the tube connecting the
throat to the stomach. When food is perceived in the esophagus, neurologic
reflex causing muscle contraction and relaxation lead to rapid transport
of the food into the stomach, like an elevator going down. Other reflexes
prevent breathing during this swallowing process to protect the lungs from
aspiration.
When these reflexes are interrupted such as by disease in the esophageal
tissue or nerve disease, the esophagus loses its ability to transport
food. Instead the esophagus loses all tone and dilates. This
prevents food from being properly transported to the stomach for
digestion.
Most cases involve young puppies (Great
Danes, Irish setters, German Shepherds are genetically predisposed). In
these cases the condition is believed congenital though it often does not
show up until the pup begins to try solid food. Congenital megaesophagus
is believed to occur due to incomplete nerve development in the esophagus.
The good news is that nerve development may improve as the pet matures.
Prognosis is thus better for congenital megaesophagus than it is for
megaesophagus acquired during adulthood.
Another congenital problem is the “Vascular Ring Anomaly.” This is a band
of tissue constricting the esophagus. Such tissue bands are remnants of
fetal blood vessels which are supposed to disappear before birth. They do
not always do so. Improvement is obtained when the band is surgically cut
but in 60% of cases some residual regurgitation persists.
In adult dogs, diseases that cause nerve damage can lead to Megaesophagus.
Myasthenia gravis would be a common cause and very important to rule in or
out. Myasthenia gravis is a condition whereby the nerve/muscle junction is
destroyed. Signals from the nervous system sent to coordinate esophageal
muscle contractions simply cannot be received by the muscle. Megaesophagus
is one of its classical signs though general skeletal muscle weakness is
frequently associated. This condition is treatable but special testing is
needed to confirm it.
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